MamaBlogger365 - Avalon as Motherworld: Loving and Letting Go by Patti Ashley, Ph.D.

"Avalon is a motherworld. It is a shadow of patriarchal consciousness, repressed and thus feared and distorted, as are many contents of the personal or collective unconscious that are denied." Jean Shinoda-Bolen, Crossing to Avalon

The essential, but often excruciating part of mothering is the inevitable need to let our children go out into the world and make their own choices. Mothers who are able to trust and allow children to live with their own consequences are less apt to be influenced by the shadow aspects of the too-good mother. Examples of some of the unconscious aspects of letting go might include: the fear of what other people think about them as mothers when their children are not perfect; feeling rejected as children no longer value their opinions and guidance; feeling abandoned, and other challenges.

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Photo credit: JGS_SistersFeedingGeese by gracey|Morgue File

MamaBlogger365 - The Set of the Sails by Patti Ashley, Ph.D.

“We all choose what we wish to be. No one impels us or compels us. The same wind that can blow a ship onto the rocks can blow it into safe water. It is not the wind; it is the set of the sails."

The Set of the Sails

Lori, a thirty-nine year old mother of three children ages sixteen, eleven and six, shared the above quote with me, which she paraphrased from the book Captains and the Kings by Taylor Caldwell. Lori believes that it is extremely important to teach her children how to take responsibility for their lives. She wants her children to know they are "captain of their ship."

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Support MamaBlogger365 and help the Museum of Motherhood secure a permanent home in 2011! Your tax-deductible donation in ANY amount will help us make our September POP-UP exhibit in NYC a permanent reality - visit our Members page to learn more.

Model Boat 360 by Vince Mig

MamaBlogger365 - Mothering Beyond Image: Living in the Shadow of the Too-Good Mother by Patti Ashley, Ph.D.

Please meet Patti Ashley, one of our new monthly contributors to our MamaBlogger365 project! Read on to find out more about Patti Ashley and her work, and watch for her upcoming blog pieces!

Times have changed quite a bit since my first child was born, but the questions remain the same. Am I a good mother? Am I doing the best I can for my child? How do I find the right answers to so many of my parenting questions? Am I going to ruin my child by my choices? These are only a few questions that run through the minds of many mothers today and everyday.

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